Prelude to War: A Four-Way Alliance Is Born!
Arrival Winter was setting in on the shinobi world. And, in the Land of Mountains, those conditions seemed harsher than usual. Blankets of snow were dropped from the heavens, showering down over the country's villages, towns, and cities, making travel perilous and deadly. Nevertheless, the world was once again gearing up for war, and that meant the Kage of the Hidden Mountain Village had to endure the harsh weather and make the journey to the capital of his country, Edo, where a grand summit of his soon-to-be allies were gathering to discuss the terms of a treaty between their lands. Covered in his white Kage robes, adorned on his head by a light brown Kage hat, Ryun Uchiha, the First Yamakage, took his first steps into Edo in many years. Flanking him were his two guards, Fujoshi Shihōin and Yukimaru Kirigakure; two of his village's finest jōnin, who had insisted on escorting him to the Summit. All three were silent as they passed the main gates and the guards therein, and into the bustling streets of the country's largest settlement. Their destination towered immediately above them; a large palace, the seat of the country's daimyō, and the site of the Summit. For security purposes Ryun had suggested the daimyō be moved to a safe house until the Summit concluded, which was agreed upon by several in the government. Inside the palace, warmth immediately enveloped the Yamagakure platoon, and Ryun immediately made his way to the fourth floor, which had been reserved for the Summit, taking his seat at the head of the large conference table, and setting his Kage hat down in front of him. He had arrived early so that he could make sure he was first. Fujoshi and Yukimaru stood before him and immediately inquired as to their orders. "Ryun-sama." Yukimaru began. "What are our arrangements for this ordeal?" Ryun motioned towards the ceiling, where an elaborate set of rafters were set up high above them, "The bodyguards for each nation shall watch from there. Only intervene if I give you the signal. I don't expect there to be fighting, but war is upon us, so we can never be too cautious." he instructed. "Are we really enough security?" Fujoshi questioned. "If there is an attack, we'll need teams of shinobi to protect the city." "Do not concern yourself with that, Fujoshi." Ryun assured, jabbing his thumb to his chest. "I am all the security that is needed. This city will not be harmed." Fujoshi managed a coy grin, "Geez, ever the cocky geezer, aren't we?" With that, Yukimaru and Fujoshi made a chakra-enhanced leap into the rafters, awaiting Ryun's guests. Ryun, on the otherhand, resumed his posture, hands folded in front of his face, leaning on his elbows, which were planted firmly on the table. It was time to set his plan in motion. First to arrive was the village of Ei's Kage Kashikoi Sukiru, flanked by her guards Shenwa and Akai Uchiha. She was wearing a steel gray Kage hat, accompanied by her the traditional white robes and her Daburu Shi. "Nice capital you got here," commented Kashikoi before sitting down at one of the available seats. From above, Yukimaru and Fujoshi cautiously watched the new arrivals, trying to size up their, hopefully, soon-to-be allies. Fujoshi was the most analytical of the two, taking notice of the three shinobi immediately. "That one there." she began, in a whisper, "That's the Eikage." "Eikage?" Yukimaru repeated, picking his nose nonchalantly. "I thought only Ryun-sama had the Kage title aside from the main five?" "The title became somewhat more loose after the Fourth War." Fujoshi replied. "Many villages now use the term, Kage. This one here is a Yin Release user, though her primary abilities are in the use of ninja weapons." Yukimaru casually walked over and looked down, "Aren't they..." However, Fujoshi put her hand up, cutting him off. Her only response was a nod. It seems she had notice that Ryun too had picked up on the identity of the guards. Below, Ryun had yet to reply to the Eikage's greetings, instead focusing his attention on the tall, slender, black-haired female. His glance was fierce, hidden behind his hands, but Fujoshi could see that his Sharingan was activated. "An Uchiha...?" Ryun thought to himself. "Guess I shouldn't be so surprised." Closing his eyes once more, Ryun returned to his thoughts, now anxiously awaiting the arrival of the other Kage. "Jeez, and I thought I was the anti-social one," thought Kashikoi, as she laid her kage hat on the table. "Let me introduce you to my guards, she is Shenwa (pointing to the dark skinned woman with white hair), and this is Akai Uchiha, though I have a sneaking suspicion that you and Akai are already well acquainted," said Kashikoi. As the sound of Kashikoi's voice echoed across the fourth floor, the third party made their entrance within the designated meeting hall. Silent as the grave, they stepped lively into view and came to a halt behind the seat which was to Ryun's immediate left. The trio hailed from Tenkūgakure, the hidden village of the Land of Air, and consisted of the Fourth Eiyōkage, Akio Kōjin, and his two bodyguards: Kaidan Nomura and an unnamed female from the village's Kimura Clan. At a glance, the Kage of Tenkūgakure seemed to be the only one with the gall to "break tradition"; as he did not wear the typical, white robes associated with the rank Kage. Instead, he, along with both of his fellows, wore crimson kosode, black hakama, and the standard sandals of the shinobi occupation. With but a nod, those who accompanied him made their leaps into the rafters above and began their duty of keeping watch over the proceedings. As for Akio, he first looked to Ryun and greeted him with a warm smile. "Lord Yamakage, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I thank you for opening the doors of your nation in the name of potential cooperation." he said, speaking in a calm tone. He then turned his attention to the Eikage and acknowledged her with a nod. "And Lady Eikage, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well." Ryun inclined his head as recognition to the Eiyōkage's greeting, offering a small smile, before returning to his thoughts. Above, Yukimaru and Fujoshi once again sized up the newcomers. Luckily, the mood in the room was seemingly very relaxed; neither jōnin could sense any tension from the participants thus far. Yukimaru was the first to speak this time, albeit in a whispered tone, inclining his voice to Fujoshi. "Tenkūgakure. Now that's a bunch you don't want to piss off." he said, drawing a muffled chuckle from Fujoshi. "They're an insanely rich nation, mainly due to their technology. To boot, their village is older than ours; having been around since Konoha was founded." "I don't recognize any of those bodyguards from our Bingo Books." Fujoshi commented. "There's a lot about Tenkūgakure we don't know." Yukimaru countered. "Mainly because they pay a pretty penny to keep their fellas out of the Bingo Books, but I recognize two of them. That guy there, next to Ryun-sama, is Akio Kōjin; the current Kage there. Beyond the fact that he uses Flare Release kekkei tōta, little is known about him. The guard next to him is Kaidan Nomura. He's older than Ryun-sama, and like Ryun-sama, has seen a lot of war." "Do you think either of them pose a threat?" Fujoshi muttered, worry clear in her voice. "Nah, these guys look pretty relaxed." Yukimaru replied. "And, its Ryun-sama we're talking about here. You and I are just here to make things look pretty. If things go to hell in a hand basket, he'll be the one dishing out the heavy artillery, hands down." The last party to enter the alliance, finally showed up. The first Taifūkage, Ryu Namikaze of the newly built village Taifūgakure. He was followed by two Shinobi's out of which one seemed to knew Ryun Uchiha. Ryu turned to his bodyguards and said " Kūkan, Sageru Uzumaki stay here. Do not intervene unless I give the signal till then watch from here. ''" As he finished his sentence Ryu continued walking towards the four Kage's. Surprisingly, Ryu was wearing the same out fit he wore during the formation of Taifūgakure, in the Land of Cyclones. Unlikely, for a man who even keeps his books properly organized. On reaching, he looked towards Ryun and smiled. " Am I late, Ryun-sama? ", he asked. A late arrival, but an arrival nonetheless. The representatives from the peaceful village of Mugigakure within the Land of Grain had arrived to their destination. Standing in front of the quadruplet was the most prominent female of the group, otherwise known as the Village Leader of Mugigakure, Tōme Minami. Standing behind her were her trio of bodyguards: Yuitsu Kusaki, a native to the Land of Grain, child prodigy Toshū Kazuma, and former captive of , Sankarea. "I apologize for the tardiness, Kage-sama." Tōme evidently referred to the trio of Kage who were sitting respectfully at the seats available to them. "We...had a bit of an encounter with poor sense of direction." Tōme said, retaining her composure while being slightly flushed at the concept of showing incompetency. She noticed the rafters that had been set above them, and understood what they were used for. "Toshū, Yuitsu and Sankarea." The trio immediately paid attention, "Go to the rafters set above. I don't want any confrontation of any kind to occur." She ordered the three, who respectfully bowed and moved off to their respective destination. Convene! Leaders of the World Yukimaru grinned slightly, still watching from above the action. Fujoshi caught notice of this and delivered a painful fist to his head, drawing a comedic yelp from the silver-haired man, who immediately began to furiously rub his head where she had struck him. "Oi, what'd you do that for Fujoshi-san~?" he chimed. "Stop staring at her chest." Fujoshi barked, this time audibly enough for everyone in the rafters to hear her. Below them, Ryun glanced around the room once, taking note of each of the other leaders, before exhaling loudly and then taking a stand. Though the man was now well into his mid-fifties, constant exposure to war and battle had caused him retain his rather youthful appearance. Ryun's mind was sharper than ever, and it was because of this that he knew that ''this war would be different than the others he had experienced before it. He would need the help of his fellow shinobi if he hoped to create the shinobi world anew. Crossing his arms, Ryun once more surveyed the room before speaking, his deep voice echoing off the walls of the small Summit convening hall. "Fellow leaders of the shinobi world, as you have no doubt noticed, our world has once more, inevitably, drawn itself into a state of war. For once, the Five Great Countries are bowing out of the conflict, but the situation is no less dire. Most disturbingly, I have come to the singular conclusion; the village system started by Hashirama Senju is failing. Nations are naturally ruled by greed and war is almost always a result of this. To make matters worse, yet another criminal organization aimed at obtaining the tailed beasts has appeared, and it appears that is enough to cause the nations to attack each other like rabid dogs. The memories of the last time this happened, in the Fourth War, have not yet faded. "It falls upon us, fellow leaders, to find a solution to these problems that our predecessors could not find. This Summit serves to unite our forces on a singular front. A front that will be decided here. Yes, leaders, I have called you all here because the complacency of this world must finally be put to a stop. Our alliance will not be as fragile as the ones that gathered in the two wars prior to this one. It must be a binding contract that stands the test of time. We must crush Sorane, and the other villages that are likely to rally together to fight our alliance. "These nations have become unbelievably lax in these times of peace. The path of a true warrior is paved with death at all sides, blood raining from the heavens as ideals clash until one submits and eventually are destroyed; subjugated and conquered. The era of the Warring States came to a close long ago... but lo and behold, a new era of true warriors will now be drawn. The die has been cast. I now declare... the Sixth Shinobi World War!" Eerie silence fell upon the room as Ryun's voice echoed off the walls and settled. Ryun was well aware that all eyes in the room were glue to him. His declaration was nothing short of radical, but if he hadn't been the one to make it, Sorane would've and then the field of playing would've been in their favor. Ryun slowly sat back down into his chair, crossing his arms once more as he surveyed the room to gauge responses. "The only question, my dear colleagues, is how to go about this. Let us hear what each leader has to say." Ryun finished. "Let's see, where to begin, I believe we must first and foremost find out all the details of who we are going up against, it simply would not do to rush into battle," Kashikoi said, "after all, what good would it do any of us to lose valuable shinobi and people, while leaving none the wiser on what are enemies plan to do?" "Simply put, we would need to assemble a team of our best espionage shinobi who can monitor the enemy, so our main fighting force knows where to fight and what to look for," stated Kashikoi, "a group of 4-6 shinobi would probably best, so that they can move quickly, and stay out of sight and out of our enemy's grasp," There was a slight, barely audible chuckle which rumbled within Akio's throat as the one named Fujoshi made his comment. However, this was the extent of his "outburst", as Ryun had stood to his feet and began to address the leaders present. The young Eiyokage hearkened to the Uchiha's words and nodded in agreement every so often. Then, once the Yamakage opened the floor for the others to speak, Kashikoi spoke up first. Her suggestion was sound; one that Akio felt himself agreeing with whole-heartedly. "If I may, my esteemed fellows," Akio began, rising to his feet. His hands came to clasp one another behind his back and he began to pace back and forth behind his seat; a habit of sorts he had developed whenever mulling over thoughts. "You make valid points, Lord Yamakage...and as you spoke, each word was as a needle into my soul. I feel guilt immeasurable for the complacency of my village. For far too long, we have stood on the sidelines and watched as the world burned in the flames of war. Even the Fourth War, which very well liberated us all from a terrible fate, we stood and watched; and used it as an excuse to turn a profit...not this time. THIS time, we shall rise. This time, we shall Fight!" He paused, allowing his words to echo across the hall for a moment, then continued anew. "On the subject of this criminal organization...Tenkugakure has been in a unique position compared to the rest of your villages. While your forces are, to my knowledge, good, upstanding individuals...those whom fly the banner of the Hidden Heavens Village are not. We hail from all walks of life, from nobility to missing-nin, and as such we have a connection to underground channels that will greatly assist in the tracking of this organization's movements. I agree that this squad of four to six shinobi be created, and in addition to this, we will make usage of Tenkugakure's connections to progress the amassment of information." "Now, on the subject of forming a solid front...I envision that the aforementioned criminal organization will not exactly be easy to find and eliminate. However, the villages which will rise up against us...well, they are "easily" dealt with. As we are all aware, one's village is a symbol of pride and comfort...as such, I suggest the commission of a unit for the explicit purpose of snatching that pride and comfort away. Tenkugakure already has in its possession large number of airborne vehicles whose purpose lies in high altitude bombing...coupled with the efforts of our most "destructive" shinobi, we can eradicate our enemy's villages to nothing more than ash, cause innumerable civilian casualties, and thereby eliminate their will to make war." "Lastly, as far as pooling our resources is concerned, you are well aware that the vast majority of the world's shinobi population obtain their goods from the Land of Air. In light of this alliance, the Air Daimyo and myself have reached an agreement that will be much to your favor...should this alliance be solidified this day, your villages will pay not a single coin for arms; so long as we remain allied..." With that said, Akio came to a halt and laid his eyes upon Ryun. He posed a question, directed at all of them. "What say you?" " Criminal organization? What is that? questioned Ryu. You mean the rumors about the formation of a new criminal organization are true? Now, if that's so I would request you to enlighten us. Provide us with all the information you have about this particular organization. Indeed, this world is always at stake. As, Ryun said we must crush this so-called organization Sorane or whatever it's called!" " War doesn't bring anything but destruction, havoc, pain, suffering and loss of money and man power in it's wake. As such, I despise the word war itself but it's no time to be playing around. Like our fellow, Eikage said we will need a strategy. I do like the idea of assembling a team of our best espionage shinobi who can monitor the enemy but ..." continued Ryu as he rose. "Our villages are our pride, how can we let pest's as such as Sorane destroy our pride? I'll not let them lay a single finger on any one of m-y, no! Our alliance! I want you all to trust each other, we will not be subjugated by these war mongers! Reality is, after all, too big for our frail understanding to fully comprehend. Nevertheless, we have to build our life on the theory which contains the maximum truth. We cannot sit still because we cannot, or do not, know the Absolute Truth. Whatever, their ulterior motives maybe but we have to be as one and defeat them! Give me blood and I will give you freedom! And, if you still don't trust me then you can have my head after the war!" " This war is not about protecting the Tailed Beast, not our private properties, not even our nations. This war is about protecting each other! We are here not just to fight a war but to win it! Defeat is not an option, this is the point of no return, I cannot ensure you all that we all will be alive, I can't promise you absolute peace, all I can promise you is my loyalty, I will fight, I promise you my respected Kage's that I, Ryu Namikaze the Taifūkage will ensure that we, the alliance will win. Ryun's words are valid, we have watched as this world burn in this hideous flame of hatred but no more. I feel guilty and equally responsible, we all are responsible for this, my esteemed fellows this is the time. We shall rise and crush our enemies, show no mercy I give you the alliance this world have never seen before let the war begin!" Category:Role-Play